UFC: Demian Maia pondering retirement

After signing a new four-fight contract with the UFC, submission specialist Demian Maia could walk away from MMA once his current deal with the promotion is up.

Maia, 40, said he is still uncertain about ending his career but he knows his time as a professional fighter is coming to an end.

“We did renegotiate a new contract,” Maia told Combate. “I had one pending fight on my last contract, but we renegotiated and now I have four more left.”

“My career is coming to an end, I’m already looking at retirement. I want to perform in the best possible, in these four fights. I’m not sure if I’ll stop after that, but there’s a big chance. I want to give my best and then I’ll see what happens next.”

Maia’s first bout under his new contract will be against Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC Fight Night 129, in a fight which he took on short notice.

Despite the odds being against his favour, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt believes the Chilean fans will rally behind him on May 19.

“I believe the crowd will be with me, which is great,” Maia stated. “The Brazilian jiu-jitsu scene is growing a lot over there, and that helps me, it puts the fans on my side, since I carry the flag. Once I’m in there, though, it’s all about doing my job and performing professionally.

“We’ve got some strategies and gameplans, but you’ll never know a fight will turn out. My team is really good at developing a gameplan and it works for most of the time. You just have to be prepared to make it work.”

Maia is regarded as one of the best grapplers in UFC history. He owns 25 wins, 12 of which came by way of submission.